A dramatic view of the Colosseum at night. (Photograph by Jm Crupi, My Shot)

Ah, summer vacation. That three-month stretch with no school, no schedule, and plenty of time for family trips. The possibilities were endless back then, weren’t they, when visions of Disney World danced in your head, and the days seemed to last forever. Not every 12-year-old is as well-traveled as Reed Golomb — son of digital media vice president Jason Golomb — but every kid has a summer vacation bucket list.

Read on as Reed shares his recommendations (which, he’d like to note, appear in no particular order) for the best places to visit on summer vacation, then ask the kids in your life which places would make their lists and share them with us in the comments section below.

1. Rome

I personally would choose Rome because of its ancient history and exquisite food and style. But don’t worry; if you are not into the whole ancient thing, it’s not a big deal. Rome has modernized its city. Now you can do most everything from riding your scooter around to watching their soccer team play. Plus, Rome has beautiful weather in the summer. It’s nice to have good weather during a vacation.

2. Florida

I decided to pick Florida for this list because of its weather, beaches, and great tourist attractions. If you are looking for a warm day on the beach, there aren’t many other places that rank ahead of Florida. Perhaps you want to go to an amusement park? Head down to Orlando for a child’s dream trip to Disney World. Still not impressed? Take an airboat ride through the Everglades and see some ‘gators. Just remember to bring earplugs — it can get pretty loud.

3. Mexico

This is a truly spectacular place to visit. I loved seeing the Mayan ruins at Coba. You can rent a bike and go on a guided bike tour around the ruins. Another cool thing about Mexico is that it has the second largest barrier reef in the world (only Australia has a bigger one), so it is great for snorkeling. I recommend going to Xel-Ha bay.

A sea nettle at the National Aquarium. (Photograph by Keeve Brine, My Shot)

4. Baltimore

Baltimore has lovely weather in the summer and is perfect for a speedboat ride in the Inner Harbor. Baltimore is also where Francis Scoot Key wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner.” You can also visit Fort McHenry and see the birthplace of America’s national anthem for yourself. And don’t miss the amazing National Aquarium. It has a huge tank in the middle which is home to many sharks, stingrays, and even a giant turtle!

5. Australia

Next up, Australia. With the warm weather, it is great for summer vacation. You can go see an opera in Sydney. I would love to see the desert and its koala reserves. Or maybe a kangaroo reserve? If you want an underwater adventure, you can take a swim in the largest coral reef in the world! The colorful fish under the ocean’s surface are out of this world.

6. Beijing

China is a powerhouse in the industrial business and in the tourism business, which is why the warm city of Beijing is on this list. You can see where the Olympic games were held in 2008, go to see the terracotta warriors (every one of them is different!), or venture outside the city to see the wonderful sight of the Great Wall of China.

Boston may have cold winters, but it has moderate summers. In the city there is a great number of amazing restaurants. You can walk to Boston Common and have a nice picnic there. And after that, you can take a walk on the Freedom Trail and see some of the historical sights in the city. All you have to do is follow the red line (literally, there’s a red line on the sidewalk).

8. Venice

The beautiful streets and canals of Venice are sure to capture your heart and mind. Take a gondola ride through the canals to see the sights and visit museums and plazas. One of the more unique stops is Marco Polo’s house. And I recommend you ask the locals were they like to eat. The local restaurants are always better than the touristy places.

9. Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s warm weather is always cooled everyday when it rains around noontime. Costa Rica has many nice resorts to stay at, and awesome pools to go with it. They have many fun golf courses and restaurants. One of the best things to do there in my opinion is their adventure packs. I did one with canopy zip lining, a jungle waterslide and last but not least a horseback ride, which ended at a hot springs. It is a great place to go.

Father and son play on a San Diego beach. (Photograph by Michael Pettit, My Shot)

10. San Diego

And last but not least, there’s San Diego. This beach city has an awesome aquarium and a spectacular beach. Plus on top of all that amazing stuff there is a very exciting zoo. It is a very energizing place and a jewel in the great state of California.

Well I really hope you guys enjoyed this blog, and if you did be sure to check out Dog Eared blogs. I did a few of those. Well, thanks for reading! Bye!

Comments

Jordan

April 13, 2012, 5:58 am

Bit worried if my kid is already worried about ‘kicking the bucket’
Lolz

Justin

April 12, 2012, 10:04 pm

When my son is a bit older, I’d love to take him along the pilgrimage called El Camino de Santiago in Europe. He’s a major hiker, so I think he’d enjoy it. I’m trying to get him to read the book “The Best Way” by Bill Walker (http://www.thebestwaycamino.com), which is a hiking narrative about the pilgrimage. The author brought his 18-year-old nephew along with him, so there’s a bit of the young person’s perspective.

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Scott

April 11, 2012, 3:41 pm

If you’re interested in keeping track of your own bucketlist, you can try wakeuplist.com – the cool thing about it is that it will send you your list every 90 days so you don’t forget about it.

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